When handling sliced foodstuff, especially of the kind intended to be used when making sandwiches, it is customary to distribute the slices, one after the other, upon an elongate strip of plastics, which is then wound to a spool. In such a manner an easily handled unit is obtained, where the slices are well protected, and which permits an easy serving-out.
On many occasions the preparation of these spools mean a handling of large quantities, and it is desirable that the slice receiving machine permits a high and even speed at the strip. To make the machine operate efficiently, producing equal and even spools it is important that the strip of plastics is maintained taut just where the slices are distributed upon the strip. This is especially important when two, or more, parallel strips are involved.
The plastics material is usually supplied in big reels, and it will be necessary to meter out the strip from such a reel, carried adjacent to a first station, and feed it to a second station, where the strip is wound up to spools. During the passage from the first station to the receiving station the strip will pass a device distributing slices of the desired foodstuff upon the strip, so the slices will be wound up upon the spool together with the strip.